Dancing
by WishingOnMyStar
Summary: Series of SONG-FIC ONE-SHOTS based on times in Carlisle's and Esme's relationship. Plenty of Fluff for you Carlisle/Esme lovers! Please READ and REVIEW! From the author of "Rising Sun: The Carlisle Cullen Story".
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is my first One-Shot. Don't crucify me if it's not great. I just listened to Rascal Flatt's song **_**Skin**_** while reading through some Twilight fanfiction and I didn't want to pass up a romance between Esme and Carlisle. So tell me what you think! Read, Review, and if you think it's any good, Pass it on!**

**-Wish**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Twilight**_** because my name is not Stephenie Meyer, and I didn't write **_**Paradise**__**Lost**_**, that was John Milton about three hundred years ago, and I didn't write the song at the end, that was Rascal Flatt's and it's called **_**Skin**_**.**

Esme sat in the hospital bed, reading the book her doctor had given her to help pass the time. It wasn't a novel really; it was an epic poem, _Paradise Lost_ by John Milton. She was in the middle of Book three, when the Son of God offers himself up as ransom for Man's disobedience to God. Esme found Milton's take on the Genesis story fascinating. It took her mind off the heavy cast on her leg and the ever present throbbing that made sleep difficult. Since she couldn't sleep, she read by the soft light of the lamp next to her bed. It was past visiting hours. Her parents had returned home. Outside, the sky was dark, spattered with a collection of stars. The moon rose over the landscape, a waning crescent.

Esme looked up from her copy of _Paradise Lost_ and sighed. Her thoughts drifted away from the epic to more immediate things. She'd been in the hospital for three days now. She'd probably be allowed to go home any day now. There wasn't much more they could do. She'd have to rest, keep off her leg, and in a month or so, they'd remove the cast.

At least, that was what _he_ said. _He_ was Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Esme's doctor. He was an angel from heaven. He was kind, caring, smart, funny, gentle, and of course, extraordinarily handsome. And single. Esme still had nurses looking in her room multiple times a day to see if Dr. Cullen was tending her. He seemed to have quite a following at the hospital in Columbus.

Not that he paid any attention to them. In fact, Esme wondered sometimes if Dr. Cullen knew just how big a following he had. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he had captured no less than six nurses' and four secretaries' hearts. And Esme's. When she'd first met Dr. Cullen, Esme had been almost speechless. It'd taken all her concentration to answer his questions as he gently prodded her broken leg. He'd been polite about Esme's nervousness, trying to make her feel at ease by making jokes and telling stories of some of the other patients. That was how Esme got to know Dr. Cullen. After getting the cast plastered on her leg, she'd been moved to a regular room. Dr. Cullen had made a point to visit a few times every day, sometimes to check on her (she _was_ still his patient) and other times just to talk to her when he had some free time. His easy manner and of course his mind-boggling smile had conspired to make Esme spill her life story to him over the past three days. Dr. Cullen, or Carlisle as he'd asked the other day, was just so easy to talk to.

The night before, after getting off his shift, he'd stopped in to give her the battered copy of _Paradise_ _Lost._ He'd explained to her the general plot and had encouraged her to read it.

"It is an intriguing read," Carlisle had said. He laughed and Esme melted on the inside. "As you can see, I've read it a couple times." He ran his fingers over the battered cover and the beat up spine. The book had certainly seen much use. Esme had taken it with a polite "Thank you". She'd never been a proponent of poetry. A bit of tom-boy, Esme had never had the patience for it. She liked things direct. But Carlisle had recommended _Paradise Lost_, so she gave it a try.

Esme turned the page.

"thee I revisit safe,  
And feel thy Sovran vital Lamp; but thou  
Revisit'st not these eyes, that roll in vain  
To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn;  
So thick a drop serene hath quencht thir Orbs,  
Or dim suffusion veil'd. Yet not the more  
Cease I to wander where the Muses haunt  
Clear Spring, or shady Grove, or Sunny Hill,  
Smit with the love of sacred Song . . ."

"Smit with the love of sacred Song," Esme repeated aloud. She was certainly "smit", Esme was sure of that. But not with "the love of sacred Song". Instead, she was smit with something a little more mundane, but by much. She hadn't seen it that day. Carlisle had been out and Esme assumed he was sick. Carlisle's heavenly face appeared in her head again. And then it appeared for real.

Carlisle peeked his head inside the cracked door. Light from the hallway beyond cast a partial silhouette on the floor. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked, not condescendingly like an adult would, but more teasingly.

"It's your fault," she accused. She held up the book as Carlisle strode into the room. He wasn't wearing his lab coat, but rather a pair of slacks and a casual jacket with a nice shirt and tie. Esme got the feeling that he'd just arrived at the hospital. "You've gotten me stuck on this poem." Carlisle sat down on the edge of her bed and reached for the book. Esme held it out to him and he took it carefully, opening it to the page Esme had marked with her finger.

"Cease I to wander where the Muses haunt; Clear Spring, or shade Grove, or Sunny Hill,; Smit with the love of sacred Song…," He read. He sighed, staring at the page almost longingly.

"It's sometimes difficult to understand what he's saying," Esme admitted. "He says things differently."

"Yes," Carlisle agreed, turning the book over in his hands and examining the old pages. "People don't speak this way anymore. At least, not in everyday speech." He handed the book back to Esme. She laid a slip of paper she'd been using as a bookmark into her page and closed it, placing the book tenderly on the table.

"You weren't here today," Esme commented, sitting back against the pillows. "You missed a beautiful day. The sun was out, the birds were singing. I could hear them in the trees outside."

"Yes," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "It was a beautiful day. Unfortunately I have the night-shift tonight. I had to get some rest."

"So you just got here," Esme replied. Carlisle's nod confirmed her previous theory.

"I've been thinking," Carlisle said. "You've been stuck here the last three days. Would you like to get out?"

"Would I ever!" Esme exclaimed. She would've jumped out of the bed then and there had not Carlisle been sitting next to her, and had the cast not been so heavy.

"I have some time before I have to sign in. Why don't we go outside. I may have missed a beautiful day, but sometimes the moon can be just as wonderful as the sun."

"I can't walk," Esme sighed. Carlisle grinned and left the room briefly. When he returned, he was pushing a wheelchair.

"Do you always think of everything?"

"Not everything," Carlisle replied. "I sometimes forget to feed myself."

Esme laughed. Carlisle brought the wheelchair closer to her bed and with his help, Esme got up and transferred to the chair. Her casted leg rested in a holder, slightly elevated. Her other perched on another such holder, bent like a regular chair. Carlisle draped a wool blanket over her shoulders. The night was chilly, even though the day was warm.

He wheeled her down the empty corridors. The hospital at night was such a different place than during the day. During the day, nurses, doctors, secretaries, surgeons, and orderlies hurried down the halls, sometimes toting patients, sometimes rushing to help patients, sometimes just going on their rounds. But at night, they traversed the same corridors finding only a nurse at stations where major hallways intersected and an occasional other doctor on night shift. In the day, the hospital could be overwhelming. In the night, it was eerie.

Carlisle pushed Esme in the wheelchair right out the front doors of the hospital and down a ramp especially for wheelchairs. Nobody questioned them. Carlisle was a familiar face and by extension, so was Esme. They strode down the sidewalk away from the hospital. The streetlamps cast pools of light at regular intervals along the street, but most of it was still in shadow. Occasionally a car would rumble by, but like the hospital, the street was eerily devoid of people. But Esme didn't feel frightened. The presence of Carlisle at her back made her feel safe. She didn't fear anything they might come across on the streets of Columbus.

Carlisle walked down the street towards a public park. Esme hadn't ever been to this park. She lived outside of Columbus. But the town doctor didn't have the supplies to treat a broken leg. Especially one like Esme's, a complete break right through the fibula. He'd recommended she'd go to the hospital in the city, and Esme's parents had agreed.

Carlisle wheeled her down the paths. Esme looked back at him, peering up at his face. It was perfection. There wasn't a single flaw. His features were smooth and angled just right. His lips were full, but not so much that it looked odd or girlish. His pale, blonde hair was combed back from his face. It shown in the moonlight like the rest of his pale skin. Looking up at Carlisle in the moonlight, Esme began to feel light-headed. Then she remembered to keep breathing. Carlisle looked down as she gasped a little too loud.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," Esme replied. "It's just—"

"What?" Carlisle asked, looking down on her with an intense curiosity. Esme had been startled by this the first time he'd done it, but she'd soon realized, that was Carlisle.

"It's nothing," Esme insisted. "Really."

"I'd still like to hear it," Carlisle replied.

"You'd probably think it's stupid, but…I just looked up at the right time and the way the moonlight was…" She trailed off. Esme felt her cheeks beginning heat up. She was glad it was darker out. Maybe Carlisle wouldn't notice her blush.

Carlisle stopped pushing the wheelchair. "Esme…" he prompted.

"It's silly. It just looked like you were…_otherworldly_. Just for a moment," Esme assured him.

Carlisle seemed to contemplate her for a while before chuckling and continuing. "I will miss you Esme," he told her.

"Miss me? Am I getting out soon?"

"By the end of the week," Carlisle replied. "But that's not the only reason why. I'm moving."

Esme almost fell out of the chair as she spun so quickly. Carlisle reached down to steady her as the chair rocked to one side. "_Moving?_ Why?"

"I have another job offer," Carlisle replied. "It's in Chicago."

Esme's heart sank. Chicago? That was so far away.

"But, you can't leave!" Esme insisted. "I mean, what about—"

"Calm down Esme," Carlisle soothed. "Everything will be taken care of. A colleague of mine, Dr. Lentz, will take care of you. He's a very good doctor, very capable and caring."

"But _you're_ my doctor."

Carlisle sighed. "It's time for me to move on. I need to further my career. The Chicago offer is very good, especially for someone like me." Carlisle had told Esme a bit about himself. He was from London. He'd come to America to study medicine at Harvard. This was his first job. Carlisle always said he was very lucky to have it.

Esme opened her mouth to protest again, but Carlisle hushed her. "Let's not talk about this now. I'm not leaving yet. Let's just enjoy the night. I heard from a source that you enjoy dancing."

"Well, yes," Esme replied. "My mother had me take lessons when I turned thirteen. But how did you find out?"

"I met a very nice girl named Sarah in the hallway. She'd asked if I was your doctor. We got to talking."

"Sarah," Esme muttered. Her best friend was a very social girl, quick to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. Of course, Sarah wouldn't have considered Carlisle a stranger, since she knew Esme and Esme knew Carlisle.

"I was wondering if you'd care to dance," Carlisle asked. He stepped around the wheelchair and gave a short bow, offering her his hand.

"Now?" Esme asked. The park was dark and empty. Also, her leg was in a cast and there was no music.

"Sure," Carlisle replied. "Why not?"

"I can't stand," Esme reminded him.

"I think I can help with that." He took both her hands and very carefully, lifted Esme with ease. He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her hand in the other. He supported most of her weight. Esme was standing on essentially one foot with Carlisle holding her up. He smiled and Esme felt her supportive leg threaten to buckle. If Carlisle hadn't been holding her up, she would've dropped.

"Oh," Esme said. "This'll work."

Carlisle laughed his musical laugh that Esme could've danced to. He took the lead, stepping effortlessly into a flowing waltz. Esme knew the steps, but her feet barely brushed the ground as he swept her up and twirled her around. She felt like she was flying. And Esme mind's well have been. Carlisle's grip on her waist wasn't uncomfortable like sometimes when a person really couldn't support the weight. He was perfectly at ease. Esme's attention was drawn up to his face as he swept her along to a silent song. Staring into those rich, pools of gold, Esme could feel the silent song. It echoed in her, like the contact between the two of them served as a bridge, or an amplifier.

They danced in this way for two of these "silent songs". If there had been any passersby, they would've thought the two of them were crazy. But Esme wouldn't have noticed any onlooker. Her eyes never left his. Esme doubted Carlisle would've noticed an audience anymore than she would've.

When Carlisle finally came to a stop, it was too soon for Esme. He gently lowered her back into the wheelchair, a smile on his face.

"Thank you for the dance," he said politely. He took her hand and laid a soft kiss on the back of it. Esme blushed and this time, she was sure Carlisle noticed. He smiled even wider, showing his perfectly white teeth.

Carlisle pushed her back to the hospital. It was getting late, and for the first time since coming to the hospital, Esme felt like she could really sleep.

He helped her back into bed and laid the blankets over her.

"Goodnight Esme," he whispered to her. Carlisle turned to leave.

"Wait," Esme called. He spun around, looking back to her. "I had a lovely time tonight," Esme told him. "Thank you, so much."

"You're welcome," Carlisle replied with a dip of his chin. He smiled again. "Goodnight."

Esme watched his back as he exited the door, closing it most of the way.

"Goodnight," Esme whispered after him. _I think I may be more than just "smit",_ Esme thought. _I think I might be in love with you._ But he was leaving. He'd said so. He was going to Chicago. She would lose him.

Esme took one last glance towards the door and then closed her eyes.

'_And they go dancin'  
Around and around without any cares  
And her very first true love is holding her close  
And for a moment she isn't scared…'_

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**A/N2: I don't usually make two author's notes, but I wanted to make some comments after you read this too. I know the end is a lot like the prom in Twilight, but hey, Edward has to have gotten it from somewhere, right?**

****

** I'm just making a comment on an anonymous review here since we're not supposed to post A/N seperately. **

**I understand this might be a bit confusing trying to figure out the time period.**

**In the series, Stephenie Meyer says that Carlisle actually met Esme before he changed her. He was working in a hospital in Columbus, Ohio when Esme fell out of a tree and broke her leg. Carlisle was her doctor, but he left about a week later to move to Chicago where he would find Edward during the Spanish Influenza. This meeting between Carlisle and Esme took place around 1905. Carlisle would change Esme about nine years later in 1924. **

**This story, obviously, takes place during 1905 when Esme is still sixteen.**

**I hope this clears some things up. But if it only makes you more confused, I am sorry and you can always PM me on my profile.**So you really have to review so I don't torture you with more One-Shots if I suck at it. I'm usually a novelist rather than a short-story writer. Just look at the length of this thing! So really, Review! I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them!

**-Wish**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:Okay, so I was rereading this story and decided that I wanted to continue a bit further into the future. So here's another one-shot that goes along with the first. It incorporates the whole idea of Carlisle and Esme dancing, but with a different song called "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman (FYI THIS IS NOT ME SO HERE'S THE DISCLAIMER!) I hope you guys enjoy it, and I hope you review more than you did for the first one.**

**-Wish**

Esme curled up before the warm fire, the battered text resting on her lap. It really was in bad condition. When Carlisle had given it to her, so many years before, _Paradise Lost_ had already been tattered and falling apart. Now, it took the most gentle of handling to keep the binding together. But that's what happened with books that were almost _four hundred_ years old. Books weren't really meant to last that long.

Esme gingerly opened the cover to the familiar pages. She'd read this book so many times since her first in the hospital. It no longer simply held an epic poem by the famous John Milton. It held a hundred years of memories. Memories of her, and of her beloved, Carlisle. Esme absently ran her fingers over the dark print on the stained pages as she thought of all the times she'd spent with Carlisle. All those blissful moments with the love of her life, and her death. He was away at the hospital now, but he was due home any minute.

Esme let the book fall open where it would. The worn binding fell open to a thin sheet of paper, not as old as the original book, but still quite old. Esme looked at the words on the paper next to the slip of paper, trying to figure out why this page might be so important that it merited a bookmark.

"thee I revisit safe,  
And feel thy Sovran vital Lamp; but thou  
Revisit'st not these eyes, that roll in vain  
To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn;  
So thick a drop serene hath quencht thir Orbs,  
Or dim suffusion veil'd. Yet not the more  
Cease I to wander where the Muses haunt  
Clear Spring, or shady Grove, or Sunny Hill,  
Smit with the love of sacred Song . . ."

"Smit with the love of sacred Song…" Esme whispered. The words were familiar, and they brought a memory to the front of her mind. But it wasn't a vampire memory, clear and intact. Instead, it was a blurry human memory, patchy and incomplete. But she did remember some things. _A park. A crystal clear, night sky. The sense of security. And of course, _him_._ His warm smile that still made butterflies dance in her stomach, even after all those years.

Esme tried to remember more. She tried to remember why each of these things were so important, and what connection they had to the bookmark and the passage. But the memory was too old, too distant. It was human, something she hadn't been for decades.

Esme sighed, ready to turn to another page and give up, when a small line of writing caught her attention. It had been crammed into the margin of the book. Esme recognized it as Carlisle's flowing hand that was reminiscent of his 16th century background. The line was simple, but it dredged up just one last, brief flicker of a memory. His cool hands around her waist as she soared over the ground to a sacred song only they could hear.

'_And they go dancin'  
Around and around without any cares  
And her very first true love is holding her close…'_

She stood, gently laying the book on the coffee table. The fire was warm against her cold skin as she stepped closer. Esme closed her eyes, attempting to cling to the few glimpses of the past. The park. The sky. His hands on her waist. The sacred song. She thought of them over and over again, almost chanting them like a mantra. And as she embedded them in her infallible vampire memory, she pretended, just for a moment, that he was there. And he was holding her like he had a lifetime ago. And Esme swayed and spun to the same sacred song she remembered…

It had been a difficult day at the hospital. I'd lost a patient on the operating table, and then a car crash had come in. A young couple, both in critical condition. Both had been gone within the hour. I knew, deep down, that there was nothing I, or anyone else could've done. I'd done everything I could've to revive the patient. I had even stood there with my hands on his heart, pumping it, trying to get it to restart. But it had been for naught.

Then not half an hour after the failed surgery, the crash had come in. Neither of them had come in with high statistics. But I had been determined to save them and make up for the loss earlier. I had worked tirelessly, only leaving the side of one to tend the other. It had been the man to go first, the driver. He'd been closest to the impact. On the chart I had put his cause of death as a punctured lung. His ribs had been broken and had torn a hole in his lung.

The woman held on for longer than her husband. But in the end, her cause of death had been just as harsh. Internal hemorrhaging. There was nothing I could've done for either of them. But I still felt it was my fault. As I climbed the steps to the kitchen door, I sighed. It was late, almost 2 AM. I had had to stay later to complete the paperwork. Esme would understand. She always did. And right now, I needed her.

I opened the door and stepped inside. The house was dim. The fireplace crackled with a warm fire. It provided the only light in the whole downstairs. Not that I needed it to find my way. I could see just as well in the dark as I could in the light.

'_She spins and she sways to whatever song plays,  
Without a care in the world.  
And I'm sittin' here wearin' the weight of the world on my shoulders…'_

My angel twirled to a melody only she could hear before the fire. Her silhouette cast a graceful shadow on the wall. I found myself enraptured by it. I was forced to tear my attention from the shadow to the beautiful creature that cast it. She was smiling as she whirled, a look of utter bliss on her face. I longed to join her, but I wasn't sure if I should interrupt such a personal moment. She seemed so happy as she was, and my heart was still heavy with the losses today. But my own need outweighed my consideration for her mood. I needed her. I needed her peace and comfort. So, without so much as a sound, I placed my bag and jacket in the kitchen and returned to the living room, only then announcing my presence with a soft cough.

The look of surprise on her face was quickly replaced with joy and contentment. "Carlisle!" she whispered excitedly. "When did you get home?"

"Mere seconds ago," I assured her. I pulled away from the wall I was leaning against and paced closer to my beautiful angel. But as I came closer, her expression fell. She closed the distance between us and laid a hand on my cheek.

"Carlisle? What happened today? You look so, sad…"

I took her hand in mine and kissed her knuckles gently. "I lost three today," I told her quietly.

"Oh, Carlisle…I'm so sorry," she replied, moving closer. She clasped her arms around my waist and buried her head in my chest. The sweet scent that I knew better than anyone else's in the family flooded my nose. It was a familiar comfort. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked, looking up. I met her soft topaz gaze in the flickering of the fire.

"Yes," I replied. I took a step back and bowed formally, reaching out for her hand. "Esme, would you grace me with this dance?"

Esme smiled and laid her hand in my outstretched. "I would be honored to."

'_So I'll dance with Cinderella  
While she is here in my arms  
'Cause I know something the prince never knew  
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I'll dance with Cinderella  
I don't wanna miss even one song…'_

**A/N2: So I hope you liked this second one-shot to go with the first Dancing one-shot. I didn't specify a time or place on purpose. Really, this scene could be in Forks, or it could be in any other place the Cullens lived before or after Forks. Really, it's up to you and your imagination. I hope you enjoyed this extra snippet. It really was wonderful to write. Please don't hesitate to review and tell me what you all think. I really value your opinions.**

**-Wish**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's another one-shot. Like all the others, it is a song-fic based on a song with dancing. This time the song is "Can I Have This Dance" from High School Musical 3: Senior Year. I do not own Carlisle, Esme, Edward, or any part of the High School Musical series. So no copyright infringement intended. I'm posting a YouTube link to the song on my author's site so those without it can listen to it during the proper section. I highly recommend you do!**

**Please read and enjoy!**

**-Wish**

Today, of all days, was a special day. Today, was the anniversary of the day I made the kindest, smartest, most loving, most beautiful, most wonderful woman in the entire world, mine. Today was Esme's and my anniversary. It seemed hard to believe that we'd already celebrated 75 years together. That was more than most human couples. And not a year went by that I didn't love Esme more each day. She is still my everything. She's the love of my entire existence. And unfortunately, she's out right now.

She, Alice, and Rosalie went to the spa for what I had planned tonight. We'd get on a plane, late so that there were fewer humans. We were taking what travelers refer to as a "Red-eye" flight, an overnight flight, leaving fairly late and landing in the early morning. Not that the time would matter to us. We didn't sleep anyways. I booked the flight, mainly to ensure that, when we landed in Rio de Janiero, there would be no risk of us getting caught in the sun.

From Rio, we'd board the yacht we always had anchored in the harbor there, travelling across water to Isle Esme. It was my gift to her, 25 years ago exactly, for our 50th Anniversary. It was her private getaway, where there was no need to hide from the sun or from people. The only humans who went to Isle Esme were the maintenance that upkeep the place when we weren't there. But they wouldn't be there, while we were. Esme and I would have an entire week to ourselves, no humans to tempt our thirst, and no teenagers to walk in at the worst time. It would be just the two of us.

I was _excited_ just thinking about the opportunity to spend time alone with my lovely wife.

There was a knock at my office door. "Carlisle?" I was surprised to hear Alice. The girls must've come home already.

"Come in, Alice," I called.

My youngest daughter pushed open the door to my study and slipped inside, closing it behind her back.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, gesturing for her to take a seat in one of the chairs across my desk.

"Just so you know, Esme's not home yet, I just left her with Rose for the last bit. I just wanted to ask you about something."

"Go ahead," I encouraged.

"It's about, when you treated Esme, before she was human. It's just something Esme told me about once."

"Alright…"

"Esme said, when she was in the hospital, you gave her a book, _Paradise Lost_. She showed me the copy."

I nodded. I knew Esme had the book. It'd been the one thing she'd retrieved from her human life. Edward had gone with her and gotten it while I was at work. We'd still been in Ashland. At the time, I had been worried for them, not because I was afraid for their safety, but rather because both of them were still young to the vampire life. Edward had only been a few years old, and Esme had been a newborn. It was amazing that they'd been able to get the book without having any accidents.

Alice continued, "She also said that you…took her dancing, though it's hard for her to remember the details of it. I was wondering, if _you_ could tell me about it. You were a vampire then."

I knew which memory Alice was speaking of, and I could recall it as easily as if it'd happen the day before, not over eighty years ago. I remembered having to hide away that day, because it'd been sunny. I'd come in after the sun had set, going right away to check on my favorite patient. Esme had been sitting up late, a reading lamp leaning over her shoulder, providing the only light in the room. It'd looked like heaven was shining down on my angel through the darkness of the mortal world. I'd stood in the shadow of the doorway for a moment, content to just watch her.

When I'd finally built up the courage to open the door and go in, I'd teased her, just to see her radiant smile. At the time, the feelings I had for her scared me. She was only a teenage girl. And I was over 200 years old. She would grow up, and I would never change. I'd known it wasn't a good idea to spend time with her because I would be leaving her for Chicago soon. But I couldn't help it.

"Cease I to wander where the Muses haunt; Clear Spring, or shade Grove, or Sunny Hill,; Smit with the love of sacred Song…," I murmured absently, recalling the passage Esme had been reading when I'd come in.

"Excuse me?" Alice broke through my thoughts, bringing me back to the present.

"That's what she'd been reading, that night," I explained. "It's a passage from _Paradise Lost_. She was up later than she should've been, reading. The copy I gave her had been one of the few things from _my_ human life."

Alice nodded, gesturing for me to continue.

"The day before, I'd run into Sarah, one of Esme's friends, who'd told me that Esme liked to dance. I figured that she might like to get out of the hospital, even for a little while. It'd been sunny, so I was forced to wait until nighttime to take her out."

"Where did you go?" Alice asked.

"A park. There was one a few blocks down from the hospital. I pushed her in a wheelchair, down to the local park and we wandered a bit." I chuckled, thinking of what Esme had said as we walked. "She'd thought I was "otherworldly" under the moonlight." When I'd first heard it, a brief pang of fear had clutched at my heart. But I didn't show it to her, thinking it better to laugh off her comment. "I'd been forced to change the subject, and told her I was moving to Chicago."

"Right, this was just before you found Edward," Alice commented.

"Yes. Esme had been very upset. I hadn't realized just how close I'd become to her, during our brief time as doctor and patient.

"I stood in front of her in her wheelchair and bowed, asking her to dance. Of course, she must've thought I was crazy. Her leg was in a cast and we were alone in the middle of the park, with only the sound of the crickets and a few passing cars. But she agreed.

"I picked her up, holding her so that she didn't have to stand on her injured foot. She was so light and fragile, and her skin was so warm." I found myself drifting off again in the memory of her body against mine. It'd been the most intimate thing we'd done and I'd been scared to death I would hurt her. I knew I wouldn't have a problem resisting her blood. I was more afraid of my own strength, of accidentally crushing her, of hurting her.

"We didn't have any music," I said. "I listened to the rhythm of her heart. It was so strong, so vital. It was like everything else faded away, and it was just Esme and I. I felt her heart beat like it was a part of me."

'_And they go dancin'  
Around and around without any cares  
And her very first true love is holding her close…'_

Alice sighed, seemingly as caught up in the moment as I was. "What happened after that?"

"I took her back to the hospital and checked on her through the night while she slept. The next day, I left for Chicago."

Alice nodded, her eyes far away now. I could tell she was most likely searching the future for something.

"Is that all you need?" I asked.

"Oh, yes Carlisle, thanks. And Happy Anniversary to you two. You'll have a _great_ time at the island."

Alice left the room with a small smirk as I groaned. I didn't need Alice looking into Esme and my future _there_. That was private. But then again, between Edward's mind-reading, Alice's visions, and Jasper's empathy, nothing was truly private anymore.

I heard a car pull up to the house and Rosalie and Esme climbed out. My heart soared at the thought of seeing my angel again as I left my office to meet her at the door.

She looked happy as she walked in, but her smile grew ten times as she looked at me. I scooped her up in my arms, laying a kiss on her forehead and then her lips. "How was your time with Alice and Rosalie?" I asked.

"Nice," Esme replied.

"Everything's ready for the trip," I told her.

"Where are we going?" Esme asked. I still hadn't told her yet. Alice had packed for her.

"It's a surprise," I told her, grinning. She was so beautiful as she looked up at me, attempting to read my expression. "But I assure you, you'll like it."

"I'd like any place, as long as you were there, Carlisle," Esme replied, standing on her toes to kiss me back.

"Well you will miss your flight there if you don't go," Alice put in. "Edward put the bags in your car this morning, Carlisle."

"Thank him for me?" I asked Alice. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper had been gone for the day, hunting together. They were scheduled to return that night.

"Fine," Alice replied. "Now go," she urged, literally pushing us out the door. Esme laughed as we got in my car to go to the airport.

"She means well," I said.

"She always does," Esme agreed.

We sat, curled up on the couch in the house on Isle Esme, enjoying our last day before we had to return to our family. As promised, it'd been a wonderful week. I was rather reluctant to return, content to just stay with Esme, holding her in my arms, smelling her sweet aroma, feeling her skin on mine.

"I love you," I whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, Carlisle," she replied, leaning into my chest. "Thank you, for planning all this. But you were wrong."

I frowned, looking down at the angel in my arms. "How so?" I inquired.

"I didn't like this weekend, I _loved_ it," she corrected, chuckling.

"Oh, well my mistake then," I apologized.

"You'll have to make up for it," Esme almost _purred_.

"Whatever you wish, I will do to remedy this wrong I have done to you," I promised. "I'll do it right now, if you want me to," I offered.

"No, not just yet," Esme replied. She sighed, watching the sun as it set on the ocean. She looked pensive.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"It's something Rosalie brought up, before we left. Do you remember the hospital in Columbus?"

"Of course, like it was yesterday." I remembered the talk I had with Alice before we'd left.

Esme nodded and stood. I didn't like the loss of her body against mine, but she reached her hand out to me. I took it and she pulled me up.

'_Take my hand, take a breath  
Pull me close and take one step  
Keep your eyes locked on mine,  
And let the music be your guide.'_

Esme took my hand in hers and wrapped her other arm around my shoulder. I took her lead, wrapping my free hand around her waist and pulling her closer.

'_Won't you promise me (now won't you promise me, that you'll never forget)  
We'll keep dancing (to keep dancing) wherever we go next'_

It was reminiscent of the time we'd danced in Columbus. Except this time, Esme didn't need me to hold her up. She was strong, just as strong as I was. I didn't have to worry about breaking her.

"Wait," I said.

"What?" Esme asked her expression curious.

"I have to do this right." I stepped back, dropping her hand. Esme looked dismayed, but I only smiled, bowing. "May I have this dance?" I asked her.

'_It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you  
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do  
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better  
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)  
Can I have this dance'_

Esme smiled and took my hand and I pulled her close once more, resting my hand on her perfect hip. Without any music, we flowed into a slow waltz.

'_Take my hand, I'll take the lead  
And every turn will be safe with me  
Don't be afraid, afraid to fall  
You know I'll catch you threw it all'_

As we danced around the living room, I marveled at my luck. I was married to an angel. I had her all to myself. And even death couldn't take her from me.

'_And you can't keep us apart (even a thousand miles, can't keep us apart)  
'Cause my heart is (cause my heart is) wherever you are_

'_It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you  
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do  
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better  
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)  
Can I have this dance_

'_Oh no mountains too high enough, oceans too wide  
'Cause together or not, our dance won't stop  
Let it rain, let it pour  
What we have is worth fighting for  
You know I believe, that we were meant to be'_

I didn't have her heart beat to dance to before, but my body still remembered the song and I kept pace with it almost religiously. It was our "Sacred song". I could've gone on forever with my angel, dancing, flowing around the room. Neither of us would get tired. But I soon sensed our dance coming to a close. We ended back where we started, just in front of the couch, Esme wrapped in my arms.

"I think I'm ready for you to, how was it? 'Remedy this wrong you have done to me'."

"Oh?"

Esme smiled at me mischievously and began pulling me away from the living room.

'_It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you (like you)  
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do (way we do)  
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better  
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)  
Can I have this dance_

_Can I have this dance_

_Can I have this dance…'_

**A/N2: Okay, I know some of you don't like the whole "Fade to black" thing, but this fic is rated K+ and I want to keep it that way. So sorry!**

**I don't know if this is the last Dancing One-shot, but I'm running out of songs that have to do with dancing and that fit Carlisle and Esme's relationship. But if you have one that you hear and think "That is Carlisle and Esme for sure" then PM me with the title and the artist (if you can) and I'll see if I can write a fic for it.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this one and please REVIEW!**

**-Wish**


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